Preparations: Emily

I am very excited to be traveling to Nogales in August. I have spent months learning about immigration, getting to know my Las Fronteras travel-mates, and preparing for what we might experience at the border. There is no bigger issue facing our nation than the immigration crisis and the entry of undocumented migrants at the Mexican border. It is on the news every day and our country seems to be divided on how to handle the problem. I can’t wait to be going on a trip— my first excursion as a young adult— but I am not sure what to expect to see and learn as I experience this issue first hand. On this pilgrimage to the Borderlands, I will need to let go of inhibitions that may restrict me from immersing myself in new cultures and experiences that we will encounter. I hope to leave behind any hesitations and be open to trying new things. On this trip, I want to push my boundaries, whether it be trying new foods or speaking Spanish with fluent speakers. I hope that I will always keep myself open to new ideas and won’t allow ideas of what I thought the trip would be stop me from new experiences. I wish to keep an open mind when listening to the many different perspectives we will meet on the immigration crisis. I also hope to push myself to not allow being introverted stop me from speaking with new people and participating in new activities. I will have to be focused on letting go of inhibitions that may hold me back throughout the pilgrimage. I may feel uncomfortable or unwilling to push myself because it is easy to stay within a comfort zone, but the trip and my experiences in Nogales will be incomplete without doing so.

-Emily, St. Elizabeth, Sudbury